The Illusion of Destiny
by Cape Magician
Summary: Sequel to 'Certified chain of Events.' On the day the Earth was saved, it was lost. Jack, Miko and Raf are the only ones who can bring it back. but how can they fight against a future when the best person to navigate it, refuses to help them? Or does Alex know something they don't?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Darkmount, Cybertron…**

The sun had begun to rise over the towering structure that had once been the leader of the Decepticon's military fortress. Darkmount had never suffered much damage during the planetary conflict but had eventually succumbed to dilapidation and neglect, with its dark, silent corridors and chambers been only recently disturbed by a number of visits from Autobots, Decepticons, and even Predacons.

But underneath the main tower, overhead lights flickered casting a dull glow and soft hum. A main corridor leading down to a vast cavern containing many objects of various shapes and sizes. Though all different, their appearances all seemed to convey a sense that they were for scientific purposes. However this was probably due to the fact that the majority of them were designed and built by the same person.

That person was now in the centre of the room, standing over a device covered by a tarpaulin. He made no attempt to uncover it, as if he was waiting for something or someone. Merely a moment later, his patience was rewarded.

The clicking of heels echoed throughout the room as Starscream walked forward. The seeker's entire frame was covered in scratches and dents, a result from his encounter with the Predacons upstairs a day or so ago. Having narrowly escaped their talons he had remained hidden until his attackers had vacated the premises. Only then had he made his way down here in response to his co-conspirator's message.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, the other person spoke. "Where is Lord Megatron?" He asked not turning round.

"Megatron will not be joining us." Starscream replied. "It would seem he has suffered a change of spark, surprisingly by the hands of the chaos-bringer himself."

As usual, Shockwave's tone contained no emotion. "No matter. After all, our leader will have no memory of what is about to occur."

"You only have one shot at this, Shockwave." Starscream sneered. "I don't have to remind you about what happened the last time you tried this."

"Trial and error plays a crucial role in science, Starscream. Furthermore I discovered that the previous attempt was simply the result of improper power utilization." Shockwave explained. "Given past events and after studying the remains of the Omega lock, I am certain that we shall be successful."

Though still doubtful, Starscream nodded and watched as the scientist pulled the tarpaulin to reveal a strange looking machine. It was the size of three Cybertronians, with a headset with electrodes sticking out of it, a control panel and monitor, and giant metal coils that stood out like antennas.

Shockwave turned to his fellow Decepticon and gestured towards the contraption. "Put on the headset." He commanded.

"Will it hurt?" asked Starscream.

"It will kill you." Shockwave replied simply, however it was enough to repel the seeker.

"Do require another explanation of what we are about to undertake and the result thereof?" he asked

"And if it doesn't work?!"

"It will."

He should have been terrified right now, but Starscream maintained his composure. He knew what was about to happen, even if he wouldn't remember afterwards. Walking up to the machine he reached out and grabbed the headset. Lowering it onto his helm he heard clamps click shut and winced as microscopic needles in the electrodes buried themselves into his metal skull.

Shockwave pulled a lever and the machine began to whir.

"Don't you still need to hook it up to the core?" Starscream asked.

"That has already been taken care of." Shockwave said as the sound coming from the machine grew louder.

"Shockwave," Starscream shouted over the noise. "If this doesn't work, you are scrapped!"

Suddenly the monitor switched itself on and began to display a blurry image, slowly growing clearer as Starscream groaned in pain from the electrodes. The machine was now deafening. Shockwave never took his eyes off the monitor as the image of Autobots, Decepticons, and humans in glass pods standing underneath a glowing Omega lock came into focus. If Starscream could see the monitor, he would see that the image now turned video was what he had seen from his position that eventful day.

Shockwave's hand moved to a large switch on the panel. Timing was the key here.

"_Ironic, giving what we're about to do." _He thought to himself.

Readying his hand and ignoring Starscream's shrieks, he watched as events unfolded…

**Cape Town, South Africa…**

The groundbridge portal had just appeared, down a service alleyway near the water. No-one else had seen it given that it was now close to midnight and a cold wind had picked up. He had been sitting round the corner on a bench but the glowing green light had caught his attention.

For quite a while Alex did nothing but stare at it. Half of him was screaming at himself to run. Run for all he was worth and not look back. But the other half was holding that half at bay, arguing that there was nowhere to run to.

The last couple of hours had been an emotional rollercoaster. Alex had done the rounds through denial, anger, depression, the lot. And now, he was all of those things.

He looked around. He was alone. Alone in a world that wasn't his, and that he could never have.

He hated the Transformers. He hated the Autobots, the Decepticons, the humans involved. He wished that none of this had ever happened. He had laughed when he thought how people said they'd love to enter their fandoms and become a part of them. From what Alex had seen, that dream came with a few catches.

He looked down at his sword. He had drawn it the moment he had seen the portal, in preparation of something coming through. So far nothing. By now he had worked out that it was intended for him. But he didn't know where it led, what was waiting for him at the other side.

Suddenly and without thinking, Alex began to walk towards it. He raised his sword.

If it was Soundwave, Alex would hurt him.

If it was his death, he wouldn't live to know better anyway.

What did he have to lose?

The waterfront grew still once again as the portal vanished.

**Sea of Rust, Cybertron, a few months earlier…**

The light coming from above their heads was blinding and the sound of rushing energy deafening. Optimus Prime's eyes were wide at the sight of Megatron and his fellow Decepticons standing around the controls of a machine that would in mere moments annihilate all indigenous life on the planet Earth.

Megatron clenched his fists. "Such raw power." The titan remarked. "What shall I call my new domain? New Kaon? Or perhaps, gilded Earth!"

Optimum turned to look at his young human friends. Jackson Darby was pounding on the pod gals with his fists. "NO!" he shouted in frustration.

"Leave our planet alone!" Miko screamed along with him.

Optimum looked back at Megatron, who simply began to laugh. Which, after being joined in by his comrades, descended into a deep cackle.

A fury began to grow inside of Optimise. In one second he had made his decision. Transforming his hand into a sword he swiped at his captors sending several of them flying. Immediately he began to run towards the Star Sabre. This caught Megatron's attention. Grabbing the handle of the mighty weapon Optimus pulled it out of the ground and advanced towards the tyrant. Megatron responded by wielding his own sword and with a roar of anger, ran straight towards the Prime. Their blades met with a burst of incredible and explosive energy, each repelling the other along with their wielders. As both geared up to take another swing, Optimus appeared to be quicker in his actions, focusing on bringing his weapon down on his enemy's arm.

But somehow, despite the adrenalin now pumping through Optimus's spark and mind…

…Megatron was quicker.

Bringing his weapon upwards before the Prime could strike, the Dark Star Sabres sliced itself through Optimus's right arm, sending it and the Star Sabre crashing to the ground. Optimus groaned and collapsed to his knees, surrounded by his now disconnected limb and the weapon he had forged himself only hours ago. The Autobots and humans could do nothing but watch with horror and dismay, while the Decepticons grinned at the sight before them.

Optimus felt the coldness of Megatron's blade was rested on the back of his neck.

Megatron smiled. "The future is mine, Prime." He remarked.

"All mine."

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Hangar E…**

Reports. That's all special Agent William Fowler ever did these days. Stacks of reports on his desk that when completed, were replaced with stacks of other reports. Carrying such a stack under his arm, he entered the giant hangar through the side door, coming to terms with the possibility of a long night.

As he walked across the floor he was surprised to hear the sound of a mini blaster coming from the upper level. Walking up the stairs and along the gantry he came across three people sitting on an old yellow couch in front of a television depicting a video game, evidently being played by the two boys on the couch.

Jack Darby and Rafael Esquivel noted Agent Fowler's arrival but continued with their duel, meanwhile the form of Miko Nakadai was sprawled along and over the end of the couch like a lounging feline, staring into space and looking bored.

Fowler spoke. "Ratchet not back yet?" he asked.

"We thought we'd stay up another hour, just in case." Jack replied while still paying attention to beating Raf.

"And when did you decide that?" Fowler enquired further.

Finishing the game, Raf set his control down and looked up at the agent. "Two hours ago." He answered solemnly.

"A call from the doc-bot would have been nice," Miko muttered from her seat, clearly annoyed. "And he promised that he would have a match with me with the Apex armour."

Jack also set his control and stood up. "There's been no word, Agent Fowler." He stated. "All we know is that one of the Autobots had been hurt and that they needed Ratchet."

"I'm sure everything's fine, Son." Fowler said as he turned round towards his office. "In the meantime, you three should get some sleep. First day back at school tomorrow morning, remember?"

"Ugh, don't remind me." Miko shifted into a sitting position and grabbed a controller. She paused. "And we still don't know what happened to Alex." She added.

Jack gave an annoyed sigh. "Miko…"

"You could at least pretend to care, Jack." Miko spat. "You saw the look on his face when he came here."

"He constantly lied to us, Miko! He used us to help himself." Jack argued, getting up from the couch and walking over to the banister. Outside the hangar, the wind had begun to pick up.

"Because we didn't know how to, dude. Alternate universes? Not even Ratchet knew for sure."

"Oh, and you think that's enough reason for him to lie to us?!"

"He lied to protect-"

"STOP!"

Upon his outburst Jack and Miko's head whipped round to face Raf. His head was hung low and his eyes were shut.

"Optimus said that we must hope that he got home." He explained slowly. "And since I helped him when you guys didn't want me to, I like to do what Optimus says." He looked up at Jack. "I know you didn't like him, Jack. But he promised that we would never see him again." He then turned to look at Miko. "And since he did that, we will never know for sure."

Jack and Miko were silent as they thought about what their young friend had just said. For Rafael to burst out like that was not common, and was always taken seriously. Outside, the wind had increased to that of a gale, rattling the windows.

After a pause, Jack folded his arms. "Maybe Raf," he said. "But I will say that if we ever do see him again, there will be trouble. Wouldn't you agree, Agent Fowler?"

"Agent Fowler?"

In response to receiving no response, Jack turned round to find the hangar empty apart from the three of them. Checking across the gantry he saw that the door to Fowler's office was open and subsequently, could see that the room was also empty.

It was only then did he notice the constant rattling of the windows and the creaking of metal as the hangar was buffeted by a fierce gale. Jack started to feel a bit edgy.

"Raf," he called behind him. "Did the weather say anything about a storm tonight?'

Raf and Miko had now also gotten to their feet after noticing the noises as well. "Uhhh…no?" Raf replied with uncertainty in his voice.

Then the windows exploded.

Shattered glass rained down upon the hangar floor as every window was blown inwards. The kids immediately covered themselves to avoid it but that was just the start of their problems. With the windows gone the gale was allowed in. Papers and small objects went flying about and the kids stumbled about trying to stay on their feet. Overhead lights started to flicker on and off, control panels and monitors exploded in showers of sparks, and a great creaking could be heard coming from the main doors.

Jack reverted to panic mode, rushing towards his two friends and pulling them towards the wall away from the edge. The kids took up crouching positions and covered themselves to protect them from flying glass or other objects. The roar of the wind made it impossible to talk to one another, and none were brave enough to do anything. The creaking of metal from the hangar doors grew louder.

Suddenly the side door next to the children was blown off its hinges. A result of the wind and the figure that came flying through it, landing on the floor near the edge of the gantry. Jack raised his head to get a clear of who the figure was. He froze on the spot when he saw who it was.

Alex quickly got back on his feet. He was dressed in his black suit with sword nowhere to be seen. He stood ready to act and wore a look of fear in his eyes.

"WHERE'S THE APEX ARMOUR?!" He yelled over the roar of the wind.

The kids said nothing, still too stunned at the sight of their fellow human.

"WHERE?!" He screamed again, the urgency in his voice clear.

Alex would never receive an answer from them, as the giant hangar doors were then ripped apart in a roar of twisting metal. The great surge of incoming wind that followed was enough to send Alex flying against the wall and the kids sprawling. The remains of the doors disappeared and with them gone, the humans now had a clear view of outside.

It was the scene of the apocalypse. Swirling black clouds filled the sky and were constantly illuminated by great yellow bolts of lightning that arched through the sky. Of the military base, only the foundations of where the other hangars once stood remained. Tornadoes of sand and objects raced across the ground grabbing everything in their way, and there was not a person in sight.

Fear and shock gripped the children where they lay, while Alex just took in the sight with utter fear. However he quickly regained his composure, looking madly around the remains of the base until he saw what he was looking for.

The Apex armour was lying flat on a crate just under the gantry where the humans were situated, but apparently there was no way to get down to them as the stairs nearby had vanished.

The moment the idea entered Alex's head, he acted on it. With the kids watching on in utter disbelief he ran forwards towards the balcony and took flying leap over the edge, directly over where the armour lay. Landing feet first on the chest piece he disappeared as the relic was instantly activated and began to transform around his body.

Jack turned back to face the view outside. Terror gripped him as he saw in the far distance, the mountains of the Nevada desert enveloped by a black snarling storm that surged towards them at incredible speed.

Spinning back round to inside, he stared as Alex, now fully clad in the immense armour, raced over to the Autobot-sized groundbridge control panel and pulled down the main lever. To his and his friends amazement, despite a few sparks from the machinery, a portal slowly but surely began to open up before. By now Miko and Raf had also noticed the incoming storm and were clinging onto their older friend.

As sparks and lightning spilled out from the portal, Alex turned around and immediately saw what was approaching. The storm was now nearly upon the military base.

Then, without any warning of any kind, he ran over to the gantry and scooped the kids up with his hand. Hence no warning, the children yelped in surprise as they now found themselves wedged between Alex's chest and hand. Glancing one last time at the scene outside, Alex spun back around and started to run. Jack, Miko and Raf clung on for dear life as they were carried into the groundbridge which as they entered, began to break up around them. Alex didn't stop for anything, not even as the portal became more volatile the further they went.

The opening of the portal disintegrated, just as the hangar, and indeed the rest of Planet Earth, was engulfed by the storm.

**Cybertron…**

Opening up in the middle of the Sea of Rust the portal spat the four humans out sending them crashing onto the hard, metal ground. Thankfully with Alex wearing the armour and his hand wrapped around the three kids, their fall was of minor discomfort. Behind them the portal closed and apart from some noise in the distance, the expansive plain grew silent.

At first, everybody paused to catch their breath. The kids were still trapped in Alex's grip and he was not moving. Jack faced his friends and looked them over to see that they were alright. Everyone seemed okay, but their faces told a different story.

Rafael and Miko were still in the grip of fear from what had just transpired back at the base. Jack himself still trying to work out what had just happened.

Eventually they heard the sound of metal shifting and the arm holding them retracted into itself. Lowered to the gound they watched as the armour transformed to reveal Alex standing next to it.

Jack stood up and faced him.

"What… was that?" he asked slowly.

But Alex didn't look at him. Instead he looked right past him and the others. It was only then did the children notice the sounds coming from the distance. Turning round they were greeted by the sight of a vast, silver city that stretched across the length of the plain. Buildings and skyscrapers towered to the heavens while roads and giant highways twisted around them abuzz with all kinds of vehicles. Meanwhile the skies all around them were littered with aircraft that shot by at supersonic speeds.

All the kids could do was gape at what they saw. Alex also stared, but already his mind was active and thinking about their situation. Jack turned round to face him.

"Is this… Cybertron?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes." Alex replied, not taking his eyes off the view.

"But that's not possible." Raf joined the conversation from where he was standing. "There's no way the Autobot could have rebuilt an entire city this quickly."

"That's because they didn't." Alex replied with evident solemn in his voice.

Miko then also turned around. "Then who built it?" She asked.

Alex stared at her.

"Who do you think?"

Before anyone could answer though, the air was suddenly filled with the sound of approaching engines. Spinning round the humans could make out a combination of vehicles and jets heading straight towards them. Before they knew it, the convoy and was upon them and the sound of engines was replaced by that of transforming. Within seconds they were surrounded by Cybertronians of various shapes and sizes gazing down at them.

All of whom bore the unmistakable insignia, of the Decepticons.

**To be continued…**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, first month of university and all that. I'm afraid chapters won't be as frequent as they used to be, what with my disturbingly large workload. But I promise to write and post as often as I can.**

**CM**


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